Splice bar for rail joints



Jan- 8 7 E. GROFF SPLICE BAR FOR RAIL JOINTS Filed Aug. 11 1923 Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

EMORY L. GROFF, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGN OR TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SPLICE BAR FOR RAIL JOINTS.

Application filed August 11, 1923. Serial No. 656,854.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMORY L. Gnorr, citizen of the United States, residing at 1308 Farragut St. NW., city of Washington,

District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Splice Bars for Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates to rail joints, and

more particularly to a splice bar construction possessin adequate structural strength to withstand t e vertical loading strains and lateral thrust forces imposed thereon and also of a lightened formation whereby substantial econom ma be obtained in the amount of meta use To that end the invention contemplates a joint bar having the desirable features and advantages of an I-bar construction, in

which the quantity or bulk of metal employed in the web is reduced and distributed in such a way as to materially lighten the bar as a whole and yet provide strength and reinforcement where it may be advantageously used. H In that connection the invention aims to provide a bar adaptable to rollin mill practice and susceptible of modi cation in the cross sectional shape of the top 'and bottom chords thereof without altering the essential features of the novel web construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a joint bar having a relatively thin web which is reinforced atthe desired 10- cations to provide for efiectively carrying the loading strains from the head to the foot of .the bar and yet permitting the wave motion to more freely pass through the joint due to the increased flexibility incident to 40 theD reduction of the bulk of metal in the As a further and more specific object the invention contemplates locating reinforcement in the channel portions of the web of the rail in the region of the bolt holes, thereby providing, in addition to increased strength, a convenient seat for the head of the bolt or the nut, while also providing bolt-supporting bearings which support and brace the intermediate portions of the joint bolts to avoid shearing or bending due to the contraction of the rails as well as due to load conditions. In the latter connection it is pointed out that the reinforcement at the inside face of the bar provides an inthe same consists in the novel construction,

combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingr drawings, in which:

igure 1 1s a side elevation of a joint bar made in accordance with the present invention applied to the rail ends.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of a complete joint. I

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of one of the joint bars.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

According to the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings it is proposed to incorporate the novel web construction of the present invention in a joint bar of I-section, thereby obtaining the desirable structural features of strength and vertical load-carrying capacity incident to a bar or beam of this general type, while at the same time also providing the thin web with adequate reinforcement to withstand horizontal transverse strains due to the clamping of the bars to the rails by the joint bolts. By reason of the novel arrangement of the reinforcement the intermediate portion of the joint bolts is well supported even though the web occupies an outwardly advanced location.

Referring to the details shown in the drawings, it will be observed from Figure 2 that the joint bar A comprises the top chord or head portion B and bottom chord or foot C which are connected by the relatively thin or narrow web portion D in such a way as to leave a channel at both the inner and outer faces of thebar throughout its length except at the particular 10- cations where the vertical reinforcement E is formedr This formation of the bar rovides for a Web of T-section wherein the web D may be made of subnormal thickness to of the rail through to the foot or base of the rail in a practical and effective manner.

As previously indicated, the vertical reinforcing enlargements E are located at intervals throughout the web of the bar and may project to both sides of the web D to provide the inner and outer reinforcing portions 1 and 2 which extend from the top to the bottom chord of the bar and yet lie within vertical planes defined by the width of the top chord or head B thereof. As shown in the drawings these enlargements are pierced by the bolt holes 3 andthe outer portions-2 present flat faces 4: which provide a firm fiat seat for either the head H or nut N of the joint bolt 5 which is inserted in the hole 3 thereby making it possible to adequately seat the bolts in a simple and expeditious manner according to the usual practice.

In connection with the inner portion 1 of the enlargements, E it is pointed out that they extend to a relatively inwardly advanced location, that is in close proximity to the web W of the rail R, thereby providing a long support for the shanks of the joint bolts at a point near to the rail web so as to guard against the liability of the joint bolts yielding to shearing or bending stresses. As the invention is particularly adaptable for embodiment in joint bars to be used in connection with high-T-rails and the webs of such bars have a relatively advanced outward location from the rail web, it is particularly desirable to provide adequate means for supporting the intermediate portions of joint bolts which are longer than usual.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the construction described carries for ward the object of providing a relatively thin and uniformly straight web D in a joint bar of girder formation, the same being reinforced by vertically disposed enlargements of metal at spaced intervals to adequately strengthen the bar in the zone where the clamping pressure of the joint bolts is the greatest. In providing the enlargements or reinforcement at the locations described the danger of rupture or breaking of the thin Web under pressure of the joint bolts is eliminated, while at the same time the bar is also reinforced to better carry the vertical loading strains usually imposed on the joint.

Furthermore, additional advantages also result from the location and arrangement of the enlargements E, namely firm seats are provided for the heads of the bolts and the nuts, and the bolts are supported at the central part thereof by the inner portions 1 of the enlargements.

Thus in the form of the invention shown in the drawings the joint bar is provided with spaced cavities or depressions which represent locations where the wall of the bar web is substantially thinned, to a subnormal thickness, between the bolt-hole positions by displacement and redistribution of the metal, while at the same time retaining suflicient body of metal and stiffness in the bar web D. By providing the reinforcing enlargements E as shown in the drawings, it is possible to make the intervening web portion of subnormal or less thickness than. is usually preserved in standard angle bars.

WVithout further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, porportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention. and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A rail joint bar including a web having thinned sections and upright reinforcing enlargements located at the bolt hole locations and alternating with said sections.

2. A rail joint bar including a web of sub- -hole locations.

3. A rail joint bar including a web member subnormally thinned at intervals, and a reinforcing enlargement located at the bolt-hole position and lying wholly within a plane intersecting an outer edge of the top chord of the bar.

4. A rail joint bar of I-beam formation havmg a rail engaging top chord and a Web member adapted to stand free of the rail web, and havin the metal in the web displaced to form su normally thinned wall portions, and enlargements at the bolt-hole locations.

5. A rail joint bar including a relatively thin vertical web and projections from said web located in registering relation at 0pposite sides of the web.

6. A rail joint bar including a relatively thin vertical web and projections from said web located in registering relation at opposite sides of the web and a bolt hole piercing the inner and outer faces of said projections. I

7. A rail joint bar including a web having an integral reinforcing enlargement extendmg to opposite sides of the web and a bolt hole extending through said enlargement.

8. A rail joint bar including a web having a reinforcing enlargement projecting beyond the inner face of the Web of the bar and provided with a bolt hole for receiving and supporting a joint bolt.

9. A rail joint bar including a web having a bolt supporting and reinforcing enlar ement provided with a bolt hole, said remforcement being located at the inside face of the bar and between the top and bottom chords thereof.

10. A rail joint bar of I-section having reinforcement in the web at the bolt holes.

11. A rail joint bar of I-section having integral reinforcement in the web at the bolt hole locations.

12. A rail joint bar of I-section having forcing enlargements located at spaced in- 20 tervals throughout the bar.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EMORY L. GROFF. Witnesses:

-E. N. TOMPKIN'S,

V. L. WATSON. 

